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Pasta is always good for my hungry crew after work, football practice, and a long day of school. Almost as good as the flavor is the fact that I can make this Pesto Chicken Pasta in less than 30 minutes when I use rotisserie chicken and pre-made pesto sauce. ~Tracy

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October is a big month in my family. My birthday is Saturday, and so is Mom’s. Then Dad’s is 4 days later. Lots of celebrating to do! To top it all off, we take our annual sisters’ trip in October. Can. Not. Wait! Yes, October is a fun, busy month.

With all of that happening, we won’t be home much on the weekends, which is when I do the majority of my cooking. Without my big weekend meal prep sessions, I’ll need quick dinners I can whip up after work.

This is one of those easy, speedy meals, prepped and in the oven in very little time. It’s certainly easier than making actual tamales but just as tasty! ~Erin

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I like cake and cookies as much as the next person, but my dessert of choice is almost always our Mom’s apple crisp. In fact, I love it so much that it is my birthday request each July. It is so perfectly spiced, with such an incredibly crisp and buttery topping, that I absolutely cannot get enough of it. That sweet, crunchy topping against the tart soft Granny Smith apples is to die for. And if you want to go extra crazy, you can hit it with a little vanilla ice cream too — on the side for sure, so you don’t miss out on the crunchy topping.

And yes, if you’re careful, you can gently wriggle candles through the crisp topping to get it birthday ready. You may or may not want to break with the cake for birthday traditions, but I guarantee you’ll feel like celebrating each time you have this dessert. ~Robin

Cut all but apples and lemon juice together with a pastry cutter until evenly mixed. (*If you don’t own a pastry cutter you can use a fork as well, mashing it down with the back of the tines flat into the mixture, but it takes longer that way. Or just order yourself one here.)

Place sliced apples into a 9x13 pan. Drizzle a little lemon juice over the apples (especially if apples are sweeter than is typical).

Cover as evenly as is feasible (don’t worry too much about perfection here) with topping mixture.

Bake until top is nice and crispy -- will be a golden brown color (about 45 minutes).

Note: This recipe can be made with any variety of apple, but Granny Smith are the best for the perfect combination of tart and sweet!

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Ever since we watched the famed chef Justin Wilson cooking with our Pappaw (Dad’s dad) as little girls, I’ve loved Creole and Cajun foods. I may have even done my best to narrate my cooking with that awesome accent of his now and then, but I digress. This Creole chicken is a well flavored, mildly spicy, new family favorite. ~Kathy

Trim fat from chicken and, if very large, cut breasts in half in order to expedite cooking.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat (Note: there's no need for oil since your goal for now is to sear it anyway). Add the chicken, quickly browning on both sides (chicken will finish cooking later).

Remove the chicken from the pan to a dish and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium, and stir in onions, softening for about 3 minutes in the bit of chicken fat that cooked out. Then stir in flour, cooking and stirring for about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and cheese. Stir in spices.

Return chicken to the pan and reduce the heat, simmering for 25 – 30 minutes, stirring regularly. Flip chicken over after about 12 minutes. Continue cooking until sauce has thickened a bit more and chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165° F.

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I got this recipe at a Weight Watcher meeting years ago. When I say “years ago,” I mean back when you were given a point range (mine was 18-23 points per day) and when you ran out of points, you were stuck eating green beans for supper. Thank goodness it’s not that way anymore!

I have made this pie with both sugar free pudding and regular, and it works well either way. I’m not a fan of sugar substitutes so I figured the WW points both ways. I will say, however, I really can’t taste the sugar free aftertaste in this pie at all (you know what I’m talking about I’m sure, if you aren’t accustomed to using sugar substitutes). My 11-year-old daughter didn’t even notice a difference!

I make this pie for Thanksgiving often and it’s always a popular dessert choice. You can’t go wrong with cheesecake and pumpkin! ~Erin

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As the Mom of two boys who would rather eat donuts for breakfast (or a restaurant style plate of bacon, eggs, and pancakes), finding healthy breakfast options is a struggle! Don’t get me wrong, they will eat cereal. One of them ate two bowls of Chocolate Frosted Flakes just today. My point is, that unless I can fake them them into a healthy breakfast option, they are looking for their morning sugar rush! They are not into fruit topped quinoa for breakfast. Who would be!?

These Lighter Blueberry Muffins are at least a step in the right direction. With only a small amount of sugar, and no oil or butter, maybe these muffins can help us all avoid the dreaded “muffin top.” ~Tracy

Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients mixing just until combined. It’s fine for the batter to have a few lumps.

Gently fold in the blueberries.

Generously spray cups of muffin pan with baking spray. Even if using paper liners it is important to generously spray them with baking spray. With no oil in this recipe, muffins will stick without spraying the pan or liners.

Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about ⅔ full.

Sprinkle a small amount of the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture over the top of each muffin.

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I made these for New Year’s Eve a while back, and after setting them on the table, I stepped into the kitchen to get a couple more snack trays to bring over. I got sidetracked getting one of the kids something for second, and I swear it had been maybe a minute by the time I came back; there was one left. “Look, we saved you one, honey!” says my husband.

So…I knew they must have been good! And I’m glad they enjoyed them. 🙂

These make an amazing appetizer or side dish. Don’t skip the balsamic reduction. It really sends them over the top! And don’t turn your back on your friends once you serve them. 😉 ~Erin

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I’m like many of you, always looking for ideas to mix up our dinner routine. I love Asian inspired foods, and this is a hit at our house. A little smoky and a titch spicy, it’s the perfect recipe for all the picky eaters around here! ~Kathy

In a small bowl, combine broth and cornstarch until smooth. Stir in the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, liquid smoke, pepper, garlic, garlic salt, and sesame oil; set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, stir fry beef in 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil until no longer pink. Remove from pan and keep warm.

In the same skillet, stir fry the onions to crisp tender in remaining olive oil. Stir the cornstarch mixture gently then add to the pan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium high heat, stirring for 2 minutes, or until thickened.

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A regular request of the grandkids when they’re at our parent’s house (and as you’d suspect, they usually get what they want at Grandma and Pappaw’s house), these cookies are the perfect chewy goodness with a cup of coffee or ice cold glass of milk. I’ve been craving these cookies lately…I’m ready for those comfort foods that are perfect on a cool, crisp fall day. You can keep your pumpkin spice latte. I’m eating cookies! ~Tracy

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This recipe inspiration is brought to you by some good folks in one of the cast iron cooking groups I follow on Facebook. If you own a cast iron pan (or even if you don’t), I urge you to follow a couple groups. There are some amazing recipes posted there! The meaty crust pizza I spotted in the cast iron cooking group had a ground beef “crust.” Intriguing, but I felt like ground turkey could be more easily seasoned to taste Italian, which is more fitting for pizza obviously. I have to say, I was right! This Italian seasoned turkey “crust” is so flavorful, you won’t even miss regular pizza dough crust. ~Erin